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Auto alternatives for the 21st centuryTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:10:45 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.2California Leads the Way in Electric Vehicle Saleshttp://www.hybridcars.com/california-leads-the-way-in-electric-vehicle-sales/
http://www.hybridcars.com/california-leads-the-way-in-electric-vehicle-sales/#commentsWed, 10 Dec 2014 21:07:16 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=227361It seems the state of California’s generous electric vehicle incentives have paid off. According to a release issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the golden state accounts for nearly half of all electric vehicle sales in the U.S. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that electric vehicle sales are increasing in the U.S., but […]

]]>It seems the state of California’s generous electric vehicle incentives have paid off. According to a release issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the golden state accounts for nearly half of all electric vehicle sales in the U.S.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that electric vehicle sales are increasing in the U.S., but still only account for 0.7 percent of new vehicle sales in the nation. In 2013, there were 226 million registered vehicles in the U.S., but only 70,000 of these vehicles were battery electric vehicles and only 104,000 were plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Even in California, where electric vehicle owners get significant rebates and are granted single-occupancy travel in car pool lanes, only five out of every 1,000 registered vehicles is electric.

Besides California, the only other state in the country that had more than three electric vehicles per 1,000 registered vehicles was Washington State. Other states with notable electric vehicle sales include Oregon, Georgia, and the District of Columbia, all of which have between two and three electric vehicles per 1,000 registered vehicles.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s data shows an obvious correlation between electric vehicle sales and economic incentives. California, for example, provides rebates of up to $2,500 for electric vehicles and $1,500 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Georgia offers a tax credit of 20 percent of vehicle cost, up to $5,000, for zero emission vehicles powered by electricity or hydrogen fuel cells, and the District of Columbia offers a 50 percent tax credit of up to $19,000.

California is also a long-time leader in vehicle emission regulation and is the first state to adopt a zero emission vehicle mandate requiring automakers to meet a minimum sales requirement of zero emission vehicles. Within ten years, the mandate requires that 15 percent of all light-duty vehicles sold in California be electric or fuel-cell powered.

Nine other states have followed California’s lead and adopted a similar mandate, including Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, these states account for almost 25 percent of all light-duty vehicle sales in the U.S.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/california-leads-the-way-in-electric-vehicle-sales/feed/0EVs And PHEVs With V2G Capabilities For US Air Forcehttp://www.hybridcars.com/ev-and-phev-with-v2g-capabilities-for-us-air-force/
http://www.hybridcars.com/ev-and-phev-with-v2g-capabilities-for-us-air-force/#commentsTue, 18 Nov 2014 06:55:45 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=217945The U.S. Air Force unveiled Friday a fleet of plug-in electric vehicles equipped to return electricity to the grid as needed. The fleet of 42 vehicles is located at the Los Angeles Air Force Base in California (LAAFB) and includes both pure electric vehicles as well as PHEV. Of these 42 vehicles, 36 have been […]

]]>The U.S. Air Force unveiled Friday a fleet of plug-in electric vehicles equipped to return electricity to the grid as needed.

The fleet of 42 vehicles is located at the Los Angeles Air Force Base in California (LAAFB) and includes both pure electric vehicles as well as PHEV. Of these 42 vehicles, 36 have been equipped with V2G technology, allowing the vehicle to either charge from or return electricity to the grid.

Princeton Power Systems said it designed and delivered a fleet of bi-directional electric vehicle charging stations that can both rapidly charge the passenger vehicles and provide grid-support services back to the electric utility and grid operator.

Thirteen CHAdeMO-compliant fast-charging stations have been installed and are based on Princeton Power Systems’ UL-Certified bi-directional multi-port converter; the GTIB-30. The new charging station products, named the CA-15 and CA-30, are capable of 15 kilowatt and 30 kilowatt charging rates respectively.

“The Department of Defense and Princeton Power Systems share the view that electric vehicle fleets can have long-term cost, logistics, fuel diversity, and environmental benefits,”said Darren Hammell, Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder, Princeton Power Systems. “In conjunction with the fast-charging, bi-directional CA-15 charging stations, the vehicles at the Los Angeles Air Force Base also can provide valuable services to the electric grid, further increasing the economic and environmental sustainability of this unique solution.”

Electric vehicle OEMs and third-party fleet-management software aggregators worked with Princeton Power to develop the LAAFB solution, enabling the vehicles to compete in the electrical utility ancillary service markets and provide energy services to the Department of Defense (DOD) facilities. LAAFB said the ancillary service revenues will partially offset the EV fleet lease expense, while also providing the potential to improve energy security on base.

“We absolutely couldn’t have done this without our federal, state and private partners,” said Miranda Ballentine, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and energy. “The shared investment and commitment by our partners illustrates that innovations such as this have value not only to the Air Force and Department of Defense, but to the nation as a whole.”

Princeton Power Systems explained during normal usage, the charging stations will charge the electric vehicles directly from the electric grid, enabling LAAFB personnel to utilize the electric vehicles as transportation within the base and the region. When called upon to support a vehicle-to-grid request, the electric vehicle’s on-board battery can be discharged directly into the grid. The rate of charging and discharging, and communication with the car and the grid, are all managed by the CA-15 charging station, meeting all local and national grid-interconnect codes.

LAAFB added in addition to supporting the efficiency and reliability of the distribution system, the charging station and vehicle can provide demand response, VAR support, frequency regulation, and other operating modes.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/ev-and-phev-with-v2g-capabilities-for-us-air-force/feed/0Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle Recognized By Popular Sciencehttp://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-vehicle-recognized-by-popular-science/
http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-vehicle-recognized-by-popular-science/#commentsThu, 13 Nov 2014 12:28:20 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=216513Popular Science has chosen the Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) as a 2014 Best of What’s New winner in the auto category. “For 27 years, Popular Science has honored the innovations that surprise and amaze us − those that make a positive impact on our world today and challenge our view of what?s possible in […]

]]>Popular Science has chosen the Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) as a 2014 Best of What’s New winner in the auto category.

“For 27 years, Popular Science has honored the innovations that surprise and amaze us − those that make a positive impact on our world today and challenge our view of what?s possible in the future,” said Cliff Ransom, Editor-in-Chief of Popular Science. “The Best of What’s New Award is the magazine’s top honor, and the 100 winners, chosen from among thousands of entrants, each a revolution in its field.”

Toyota’s FCV is an all-electric, four-door sedan that makes its own electricity on board. As described by Toyota, it utilizes the same hybrid technology developed for its hybrid synergy drive systems found on vehicles like the Prius, but replaces the gasoline engine with a fuel cell stack.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-fuel-cell-vehicle-recognized-by-popular-science/feed/0Hybrid And Electric Tech Moves To Silicon Valleyhttp://www.hybridcars.com/hybrid-and-electric-tech-moves-to-silicon-valley/
http://www.hybridcars.com/hybrid-and-electric-tech-moves-to-silicon-valley/#commentsThu, 30 Oct 2014 04:00:56 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=211769Hybrid and electric drivetrain technology will soon be developed in California’s Silicon Valley. Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) announced this week it will open its global innovation center and headquarters in the Silicon Valley. EDI added an office location has been selected in Milpitas, California, close to automotive and technology innovators like Tesla motors, Cisco, Sandisk […]

]]>Hybrid and electric drivetrain technology will soon be developed in California’s Silicon Valley.

Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) announced this week it will open its global innovation center and headquarters in the Silicon Valley.

EDI added an office location has been selected in Milpitas, California, close to automotive and technology innovators like Tesla motors, Cisco, Sandisk and more. EDI expects to open its new offices in January 2015.

The company describes itself as a global leader in advanced, high-efficiency hybrid and electric drivetrain solutions,

“By establishing the Silicon Valley Innovation Center, EDI is well prepared to support new market and customer opportunities,” said CEO Joerg Ferchau. “Our goal is to create an open, collaborative innovation center that inspires EDI team members, our partners, and the industry at large to push the boundaries of clean tech innovation. The Silicon Valley represents the epitome of technology advancement-something we are deeply committed to at EDI. We are thrilled to be near some of the world’s leading technology brands.”

The new global headquarters brings together EDI’s research and development teams, sales, marketing, and administration in 30,000 square feet of space dedicated to its development, manufacturing, and global operations, stated the company.

In addition to housing the company’s many corporate and administrative functions, EDI will launch a new Innovation Center where its expert technology team will collaborate directly with customers to build “world’s first” PHEV and EV solutions, explained EDI. The initial Innovation Center project roster has been identified and will include customer representation from North America, China, and Korea.

EDI’s current Dixon, California presence will continue operations, serving as a development, demonstration and Americas support center. EDI also said it will maintain its development and manufacturing operations in Beijing and Wuxi, China.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/hybrid-and-electric-tech-moves-to-silicon-valley/feed/0Ford Fusion Popular In Californiahttp://www.hybridcars.com/ford-fusion-popular-in-california/
http://www.hybridcars.com/ford-fusion-popular-in-california/#commentsFri, 10 Oct 2014 04:00:53 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=203417Ford is finding success in California with its Fusion sedan. The Ford Fusion is continuing to gain market share in large part due to design-conscious buyers in California, stated the company. The Fusion sedan is available with various powertrains, including Ford’s EcoBoost engine, a Hybrid version and a plug-in. These have no doubt helped put […]

The Ford Fusion is continuing to gain market share in large part due to design-conscious buyers in California, stated the company.

The Fusion sedan is available with various powertrains, including Ford’s EcoBoost engine, a Hybrid version and a plug-in. These have no doubt helped put the Fusion top of mind for many Californians.

Ford stated the midsize sedan segment in the U.S. overall continues to grow in sales volume, but as a percentage of total sales the segment is being outpaced by other segments, including small utilities. Despite those headwinds in the segment, Ford Fusion retail registrations continue to grow at double the pace of the midsize sedan segment overall, according to Ford’s analysis of Polk new vehicle registration data from IHS Automotive.

Ford attributes sales growth for the Fusion sedan to retail demand from motorists in the Golden State; with retail registrations up 27 percent in California through July, the state contributed to 21 percent of the Fusion’s retail sales growth in the U.S. market.

“The Fusion is achieving growth in all the right places, especially in California, which is the largest midsize sedan market in the country, followed by Texas,” said Erich Merkle, Ford sales analyst. “Fusion growth in California is growing at twice the rate of the overall midsize sedan segment. Fusion sales and share are both the highest levels we’ve seen.”

Texas was the second biggest contributor to Fusion sales growth with 22 percent retail gains, representing 14 percent of U.S. Fusion retail registration growth in the U.S. through July.

Through September of this year, the Fusion has seen its market share climb to an all-time high of 12 percent, according to industry sales data, and has produced record sales for six of the last nine months.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/ford-fusion-popular-in-california/feed/0Newport Coachworks Expanding In Riverside, Calif.http://www.hybridcars.com/newport-coachworks-expanding-in-riverside-calif/
http://www.hybridcars.com/newport-coachworks-expanding-in-riverside-calif/#commentsMon, 29 Sep 2014 04:17:02 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=197842Green Automotive Company (GAC) announced last Thursday its core activity, Newport Coachworks, is expanding its production facility in Riverside, California. This growth, says the company, is being done in order to meet the increasing demand from customers for its shuttle buses. GAC said today all Newport Coachworks production activity is carried out in its 20,000-square-foot […]

]]>Green Automotive Company (GAC) announced last Thursday its core activity, Newport Coachworks, is expanding its production facility in Riverside, California.

This growth, says the company, is being done in order to meet the increasing demand from customers for its shuttle buses.

GAC said today all Newport Coachworks production activity is carried out in its 20,000-square-foot plant in Riverside. The company has just signed a contract to rent an additional 12,000-square-foot building two miles away from its existing facility.

Construction work has started, added GAC, to adapt it to the company’s requirements. The new facility will be ready in early October and the entire final assembly process will be located there. The building will also provide new commercial offices including design and development, a small show room and a customer reception area.

GAC explained all fibreglass and frame construction as well as paint operations will continue to be done in the original factory. This expansion allows Newport Coachworks to move from a production capacity of 2 buses to 4 or 5 buses per week and should eventually employ an additional 20 workers.

“The expansion, which represents a 50 percent increase in production space, will help to meet the continuous growth in demand for our products. August has been a particularly strong month for us – underlining the need to expand,” said Carter Read, President of Newport Coachworks. “We expect this trend should continue as we sign additional dealership agreements around the country.”

Newport Coachworks is described by GAC as committed to producing eco-friendly vehicles that help to reduce CO2 emissions to build a sustainable future.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/newport-coachworks-expanding-in-riverside-calif/feed/0California Wants More People Driving Electric Vehicleshttp://www.hybridcars.com/california-wants-more-people-driving-electric-vehicles/
http://www.hybridcars.com/california-wants-more-people-driving-electric-vehicles/#commentsThu, 25 Sep 2014 14:28:46 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=197266California is already recognized as the beating heart of electric vehicles, and current Governor Jerry Brown wants the state to keep its leadership position. Brown recently signed a number of bills and approved legislation aimed at getting 1 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2023. Arguably the most important portion is aimed at making […]

]]>California is already recognized as the beating heart of electric vehicles, and current Governor Jerry Brown wants the state to keep its leadership position.

Brown recently signed a number of bills and approved legislation aimed at getting 1 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2023. Arguably the most important portion is aimed at making those vehicles more affordable for lower-income people.

“We face an existential challenge with the changes in our climate,” Brown said. “The time to act is now. The place to look is California. We’re not finished, but we sure are setting the pace.”

According to the LA Times, “the legislation … directs the state Air Resources Board to draft a financial plan to meet that goal and make sure that disadvantaged communities can participate.

“The board will change its clean-vehicle rebate program to provide an extra credit for low-income drivers who wish to buy or lease an electric car. It also will provide assistance to car-sharing programs in low-income neighborhoods and install electric vehicle charging stations in apartment buildings in those communities.”

Other incentives include additional rebates in a “cash-for-clunkers” style arrangement, and the legislation also increased the cap on the number of available carpool-lane stickers from 55,000 to 70,000 cars.

State Senator Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), who sponsored part of the legislation, said, “I’m very excited that California is charging ahead with plans to have electric vehicles in every ZIP Code across the state. We’re going to lead the way in the fight against climate change by putting a million EVs on the road, which means making them affordable to all drivers, not just the wealthy.”

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/california-wants-more-people-driving-electric-vehicles/feed/02015 Fiat 500e Available In Oregon And Californiahttp://www.hybridcars.com/2015-fiat-500e-available-in-oregon-and-california/
http://www.hybridcars.com/2015-fiat-500e-available-in-oregon-and-california/#commentsWed, 24 Sep 2014 04:05:11 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=196274Fiat’s fully electric 2015 500e is now available in California and Oregon. Fiat said the 500e is available for $199 a month for 36 months with $999 due at signing. Sales of the Fiat 500e expanded to Oregon earlier this year; the all-electric Fiat had been sold only in California since its introduction in 2013. […]

]]>Fiat’s fully electric 2015 500e is now available in California and Oregon.

Fiat said the 500e is available for $199 a month for 36 months with $999 due at signing.

Sales of the Fiat 500e expanded to Oregon earlier this year; the all-electric Fiat had been sold only in California since its introduction in 2013.

“Bringing the Fiat 500e to Oregon gives more customers in this environmentally minded state the opportunity to enjoy the Italian style and engaging driving dynamics of the Fiat 500, but with zero tailpipe emissions,” said Jason Stoicevich, Head of Fiat Brand for North America, Chrysler Group LLC.

For 2015, the Fiat 500e has a redesigned center console, with a new cup holder design and an additional USB port that is integrated with the radio. Two paint colors have been added for the 2015 model-year vehicles for a total of seven available exterior paint colors. The new colors are Luce Blu (light blue with a pearl finish) and Celeste (light blue).

To help alleviate range anxiety, Fiat has conceived an alternative transportation program for owners of the 500e. For times when a 500e customer needs to drive beyond the vehicle’s range or needs the carrying capability of a larger vehicle, the Fiat 500e lease provides an alternative transportation plan called the Fiat 500e Pass program.

Fiat said it partnered with Enterprise Holdings, owner and operator of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car, and National Car Rental brands, on the Fiat 500e Pass program, providing purchasers and lessees of a new 500e up to 12 days of alternate transportation each year for the first three years after the date of purchase.

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/2015-fiat-500e-available-in-oregon-and-california/feed/0Mercedes-Benz Also Granted California Autonomous Vehicle Licensehttp://www.hybridcars.com/mercedes-benz-also-granted-california-autonomous-vehicle-license/
http://www.hybridcars.com/mercedes-benz-also-granted-california-autonomous-vehicle-license/#commentsMon, 22 Sep 2014 04:05:52 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=195218Mercedes-Benz is another German company receiving an autonomous vehicle license from the state of California. With “Senate Bill No. 1298″ taking effect, Mercedes-Benz received a license allowing the company to test vehicles in autonomous driving mode in daily traffic on California roads. Mercedes-Benz, which has been in Silicon Valley for almost 20 years now, said […]

]]>Mercedes-Benz is another German company receiving an autonomous vehicle license from the state of California.

With “Senate Bill No. 1298″ taking effect, Mercedes-Benz received a license allowing the company to test vehicles in autonomous driving mode in daily traffic on California roads.

Mercedes-Benz, which has been in Silicon Valley for almost 20 years now, said this represents a further expansion of the company’s extensive research activities in the USA.

“With the approval from the U.S. federal state of California we can now take autonomous driving to a new level in the USA,” said Prof Thomas Weber, member of the board of management of Daimler AG responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. “Through our new research activities we aim to promote the topic specifically in the USA, as the traffic system in the USA differs from the system in Germany in numerous aspects. The knowledge that Mercedes-Benz gains will help to achieve significant strides in the further technological development of autonomous driving.”

Mercedes-Benz finds the differences vast: while motoring in Germany commonly takes place on narrow roads, the roads in the USA are frequently wider and may have more than six or even eight lanes. Traffic lights are installed on the opposite side of the road, there are numerous scenarios for merging onto roads and at a so-called 4-way stop the first to reach the junction is allowed to go first.

“These are all situations which do not exist in this form in Germany,” said Axel Gern, head of Autonomous Driving at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America, Inc. (MBRDNA). “So we need to teach our research vehicles these situations here in the USA. In the future, these vehicles will be tested on the road daily. As in the test drives in Germany, these research vehicles from Mercedes-Benz in the USA are also current models belonging to the S- and E-Class.”

The German company explained autonomous test drives are carried out by specially trained test drivers, as safety for all road users is not only required by the strict standards of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in California, but is also the overriding priority at Mercedes-Benz. The test vehicles are said to be specially equipped to this end: the driver must recognize clearly when the car is in autonomous driving mode and must be able to override this mode at any time; in addition, the car must be capable of stopping autonomously at any time.

“In Germany, we demonstrated in the Bertha-Benz drive back in August 2013 that autonomous driving is technically possible in complex urban and rural traffic,” said Thomas Weber. “With the test drives in California we are now broadening the horizon for our research vehicles by additionally teaching them American traffic regulations.”

]]>http://www.hybridcars.com/mercedes-benz-also-granted-california-autonomous-vehicle-license/feed/0First Autonomous Driving Calif. Permit Issued To Audihttp://www.hybridcars.com/first-autonomous-driving-calif-permit-issued-to-audi/
http://www.hybridcars.com/first-autonomous-driving-calif-permit-issued-to-audi/#commentsWed, 17 Sep 2014 04:08:28 +0000http://www.hybridcars.com/?p=193354Audi announced it will be the first company to receive a newly established autonomous driving permit issued by California. This came as a number of new regulations that govern the testing of automated driving on the state’s roads took effect September 16. California has allowed limited use of its roads for automated vehicle testing in […]

]]>Audi announced it will be the first company to receive a newly established autonomous driving permit issued by California.

This came as a number of new regulations that govern the testing of automated driving on the state’s roads took effect September 16.

California has allowed limited use of its roads for automated vehicle testing in past years. But the state legislature, led by Sen. Alex Padilla, passed legislation that Gov. Jerry Brown signed in 2012 to establish new guidelines for testing and eventually consumer use of automated driving technologies..

Audi added it has conducted research over tens of thousands of miles in Europe and various U.S. states, where such testing is permitted. The research, explained the German company, is aimed at preparing a highly automated Piloted driving system for freeway traffic conditions. Audi envisions this technology could be ready for consumer introduction within five years.

California roads are especially crucial to Audi Piloted driving testing because the state is home to the brand’s Electronics Research Lab (ERL), explained Audi. ERL engineers are working on a wide range of automated driving issues, including human-machine interface prompts that indicate when the human or the vehicle are handling driving functions.

Audi and ERL researchers have been involved in the pursuit of automated driving from its earliest stages, added the automaker. Audi, ERL and Stanford University engineers collaborated on the development of the Autonomous Audi TTS Pikes Peak car, which successfully completed the 12.42-mile route of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race in Colorado in 27 minutes without a human in the car.

“Audi is a driving force behind the research taking automated driving from science fiction to pre-production readiness,” said Scott Keogh, President, Audi of America. “Obtaining the first permit issued by the State of California shows that we intend to remain the leader in this vital technology frontier.”

Regulations taking effect this week include proof of insurance or surety bonds for manufacturers testing automated driving research cars, and permits for company-designated operators of those vehicles. Regulations require surety bond coverage of at least $5 million for each vehicle covered by a license and allows testing on any state road.

“California has shown time and time again that it is a global technological leader and today marks the beginning of a new era for the auto industry,” Sen. Padilla said. “Driverless vehicle technology has the potential to revolutionize driving, reduce traffic accidents and save lives. I applaud the efforts of Audi of America and others whose commitment is making this technology a reality,”

Audi was the first automotive OEM to receive, in 2012, one of the red autonomous vehicle license plates issues by the State of Nevada. In July, with Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Audi was the first automaker to demonstrate the capability of its automated driving technologies on a Tampa expressway newly designated as an autonomous and connected car test bed.